Likkutei Amarim Tanya - Chapter 18 - Part 3

00:00 Let’s start again with the words and the idea. In this chapter, the Alter Rebbe comes to explain how every Jew, whoever he may be, can fulfill “the matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to do it.” He can serve Hakadosh Boruch Hu, turn away from evil and do good, with love and fear. Right? Even if he isn’t capable of understanding deep ideas or knowing a great deal. Every Jew can serve Hashem with love and fear. What love and fear are we talking about? We’re talking about the hidden love and fear. So here the Alter Rebbe begins to explain. Again: there were four questions here. We discussed them last week, and now the Alter Rebbe begins his explanation. We also covered the beginning, but let’s learn it again from the start of the explanation. “And therefore they merited to draw down nefesh, ruach, and neshamah to their descendants after them for all time, from the ten holy sefiros in the four worlds of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, to each one according to his level and his deeds.” Because the Patriarchs were a merkavah, it means that they didn’t merely have love and fear of Hashem. Their love of Hashem was on the level of a merkavah, which is something entirely different. We explained that in the previous class. An ordinary person who loves Hakadosh Boruch Hu has love and has fear. But that doesn’t necessarily mean his son or grandson will inherit that same love and fear for all generations. Generally, a character trait is something external. A father may have it and his son may not. The son won’t necessarily have the same traits, or love the same things his father or grandfather loves. Certainly, that won’t necessarily be true of all his children for all generations. But there is something special here: for the Patriarchs, it was on the level of a merkavah. It wasn’t merely love and fear. Their love and fear became their entire being.

02:15 That was true of the Patriarchs: “they themselves are the merkavah.” Their whole essence—their entire being, in every detail, at every moment and at all times—was completely nullified to Hakadosh Boruch Hu. And therefore, through the Patriarchs, this was drawn down automatically, naturally, to every Jew descended from them, for all time and through all generations. When you are born to parents descended from Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, this is present in the nature of your soul. What did they draw down? Nefesh, ruach, and neshamah. In other words, they drew down a holy soul. There are three levels within it, but broadly speaking, we mean the holy soul. Where does the soul come from? He says, “from the ten holy sefiros in the four worlds of Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah, to each one according to his level and his deeds.” Yes, that means the level of the soul isn’t the same for everyone. There is one point, as we’ll learn later, that is present in all souls equally. On the other hand, there are many different levels. There are four worlds—Atzilus, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah—all of them holy worlds, and each of those four worlds has ten sefiros. Each world has ten sefiros, and in each there is nefesh, ruach, and neshamah. So you have all these levels. Consequently, there are many types of souls. Some souls are on the level of Atzilus. Others are on the levels of Beriah, Yetzirah, or Asiyah. Some souls are more connected with intellect, some with emotions, and some with action, and so on. There are many types and aspects of souls because they are connected with the worlds. But there is one point, an essential point, that is present in all souls: each is a holy soul. So what is the Alter Rebbe explaining to us

04:27 here? What is the answer? What point is the Alter Rebbe making? The Alter Rebbe had a question. Yes, a question the Alter Rebbe asked: “The root of this love”—what is the root of this love? Where does such love come from? It doesn’t come from the intellect. So where does it come from? The Alter Rebbe also asked: How can it be inherited? How can you receive something like this as an inheritance? So what do we understand now? This love isn’t ordinary love, a love built on intellect. Rather, it comes from the very essence of a Jew. That is to say, there is something essential, something fundamental: a Jew has something different about him. A Jew isn’t simply a created being, a human being with the power of speech. There are inanimate objects, plants, animals, and speaking beings; and among speaking beings, there are many kinds, one of which is the Jew. But it isn’t simply like that. A Jew isn’t merely a speaking being like all the others, with a few additional qualities. Rather, from the outset, a Jew is an entirely different kind of being. This is the meaning of “the Patriarchs themselves are the merkavah”: because of their nullification as a merkavah, the Patriarchs bequeathed to us a special soul that is “a part of G-d above”—a soul that is something entirely different. This isn’t something one can arrive at through ordinary existence. It isn’t bound to any particular form, definition, or limitation. It is something essential, drawn into every Jew as part of his very essence. In a moment, the Alter Rebbe will explain in greater detail what this is, how it works, and what it accomplishes. But for now, let’s talk about the basic point. On the other hand, if we’re talking about something so essential, how can there be so many different kinds of Jews? If it is one point, the same essence, then we should all be like the Patriarchs. So the Alter Rebbe explains that within the holy soul there are four

06:17 worlds, ten sefiros, and nefesh, ruach, and neshamah. The very fact that there are four worlds, ten sefiros, and nefesh, ruach, and neshamah gives rise to many distinctions and many types of souls, in different forms and at different levels. At the same time, there is a common point: each is a holy soul, a part of G-d, and because of that it has the capacity for mesirus nefesh, as the Alter Rebbe will explain later. The Alter Rebbe continues: “In any case, even for the lowest of the low and the transgressors of Israel...” “In any case” is as if the Alter Rebbe is saying, at the very least. At the very least, even for the lowest of the low and the transgressors of Israel—even someone in the worst, lowest state. What’s the difference between “the lowest of the low” and “the transgressors of Israel”? “The lowest of the low” means a person who is lowly by nature. He is the lowest of the low. In other words, he is frivolous. His frivolity comes from his coarseness, from the level of his soul, which is very low. So he is the lowest of the low. He is a person who is lowly by nature, because of the low level of the soul within him and of his physical being. Regarding the phrase “the lowest of the low,” the Rebbe Rashab would explain, rather sharply, what it means: even people considered lowly say that he is lowly. It isn’t just an expression. He is so frivolous, so degraded, that even Jews who are themselves considered lowly say he is lowly compared to them. That is one category. Then there are “the transgressors of Israel.” A transgressor of Israel is someone who acts wickedly, who does things to provoke. That is already a different kind of person. “The lowest of the low” refers to frivolity. It’s just [unclear]

08:19 Whereas “the transgressors of Israel” refers to willful wrongdoing: he acts deliberately, with intent. That is something different, a kind of wickedness. A person can be both the lowest of the low and a transgressor of Israel—coarse and lowly by nature, and not only that, but a transgressor who acts in rebellion. Some people are only one of the two. So the point the Alter Rebbe makes here is that even a person on such a low level, both the lowest of the low and a transgressor of Israel, “in his union, a nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah is drawn down.” Nevertheless, because he is a Jew, from a Jewish home, with a Jewish father and mother, even in his union a nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah is drawn down. That is “in any case”—the very lowest level, so to speak. But it is still a level. And because he is the lowest of the low, a transgressor of Israel, souls drawn down through his union are of the very lowest kind. Which are the very lowest souls? A nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah. The lowest world is Asiyah. Within the world of Asiyah itself, the lowest sefirah is Malchus; within Malchus itself, it is the level of nefesh, the lowest level of nefesh, ruach, and neshamah. And within nefesh itself there is a nefesh of nefesh. There is a progression of levels within nefesh itself. So this is a nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah, the lowest of the low among the levels. But ultimately it is still a level. It is part of seder hishtalshelus. It is the lowest level there is—but lowest within what? Within the levels of holiness. Consequently, he too is connected to holiness. The Rebbe adds in Reshimos that perhaps “drawn down in his union” refers here to the union of the parents of the lowest of the low, of the transgressor of Israel. It isn’t speaking about the lowest of the low himself. The Rebbe is speaking about his parents. Yes. In other words, this

10:12 that he is among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel. Right. In other words, this shows that his soul is on an extremely low level. This soul is drawn down through the union of his parents. And that union comes from parents who are Jews, a Jewish father and mother, descendants of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov. So even though they brought a person into the world who is among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel, he nevertheless has an inheritance. He comes from them. He is a son of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov, Sarah, Rivkah, Rachel and Leah. So even in this lowest of souls there is a spark of the soul of Avraham Avinu, of the Patriarchs. If the lowest level of holiness is Asiyah, then this is the very lowest level—but the lowest level of holiness is still Asiyah. Even though I’m saying that this is the very lowest level, a person among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel, so that the soul within him occupies the lowest place among souls—nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah—nevertheless, the Alter Rebbe says, since it comes from the ten holy sefiros... Here the Alter Rebbe comes to tell us the remarkable thing that reveals the greatness of a Jew. This is Tanya: although you look at him and see someone among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel, whose soul is on an extremely low level, nevertheless, since it comes from the ten holy sefiros, it contains them all. So there are two points here. First, this itself is holy. It is the lowest of the low, and it is still holy. But the Rebbe adds an even deeper point. It’s not just that this person is among the lowest of the low, not just that his soul is nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah. Okay, that is a low level, but at least it is holy. That itself means something. The Rebbe says something more: it isn’t only

12:03 holy; this soul also contains all the levels above it. Since it comes from the ten holy sefiros, it contains them all. Even within its Chochmah of Asiyah is invested the Chochmah of Malchus of Atzilus; and within its Chochmah of Atzilus, the Ein Sof, blessed be He, actually shines. The Rebbe makes a whole point of this, but what he wants to say is this: when you look at a soul, and you see someone among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel—when you look at a person and see someone extremely coarse, extremely low, one of those counted among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel—you need to know two things. First, you must always know that his soul, too, is part of the Jewish people. Nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah, but it is still holy. That in itself already means something. He, too, is part of the Jewish people, part of holiness. For that alone, we must hold him dear and look at him with a kind eye. The Rebbe says more: because holiness is characterized by mutual inclusion—and we know that holiness is a matter of unity. The entire service within holiness is about the oneness of Hashem. Therefore, even throughout the order of spiritual descent, every aspect of holiness has an element of unity. Unity means that all the levels are included within one another. All the levels are connected to one another. Ultimately, there is a connection between every level, from the lowest to the highest. This is one of the differences explained in the book, the fundamental distinction between holiness and kelipah: kelipah is, in essence, separation. Kelipah is self-importance, and self-importance means separation: each one is an entity unto himself, not joined with the other, not connecting himself with what is around him. Each one is an independent being, an entity unto himself. The world of Tohu is characterized by separation, as explained

13:59 in Imrei Binah, in the discussion of unity, and in many other places. That is the foundation of kelipah. Kelipah is self-importance, and therefore there is no unity there. Holiness, by contrast—all of its existence flows from the oneness of Hashem, from the light of the one Hashem. Therefore, even within holiness as it unfolds through the order of spiritual descent into four worlds, ten sefiros and so on, there is mutual inclusion. Since it is holiness, all the levels are connected with one another. So what follows from this? Even a person who is among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel, whose conduct you see to be on the lowest level and whose soul is on the very lowest level—because holiness has mutual inclusion, within that lowest soul there is not only Malchus of Malchus of Asiyah, nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah. There is also Chochmah of Asiyah, and within that there is also Malchus, and so on through Yetzirah, Beriah and Atzilus, until you reach Chochmah of Atzilus, until you reach the Ein Sof invested in Chochmah. The Ein Sof is present in Chochmah of Atzilus. And who represents Chochmah of Atzilus? The greatest tzaddik, Moshe Rabbeinu. Moshe Rabbeinu’s soul was on the level of a soul of Atzilus, Chochmah of Atzilus. Here, though, we are speaking about someone among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel, whose soul is nefesh of nefesh of Malchus of Asiyah. That is how he appears. But because of the mutual inclusion here, even he has a connection with Chochmah of Atzilus, the highest level, where the Ein Sof is present. What does that mean? It means that in potential, in essence—when you look at a Jew, any Jew at all, you have to look at his potential. This Jew has the potential to reach as far as Moshe Rabbeinu’s level. At the very least, he has a connection with Moshe Rabbeinu. Not necessarily that he will reach Moshe Rabbeinu’s actual level, but at least a connection with Moshe Rabbeinu’s greatness—that is possible for each and every person.

16:05 This is a very deep and powerful way of serving Hashem, the way the Rebbe teaches us to look at a Jew. Even a Jew whom you see from the outside, whose behavior you look at and see someone among the lowest of the low and the sinners of Israel. Those are exactly the details here. Now, there is a sicha of the Rebbe on this subject, from a farbrengen on Vayakhel-Pekudei. The Rebbe speaks about it at length: how Vayakhel is explained through “Moshe assembled”—the entire work of “Moshe assembled.” We spoke about it on Shabbos, a sicha from 5752, Vayakhel. Looking at every Jew as he is, as a part of G-dliness. Beautiful. It is essentially the same work, expressed in the way the Rebbe explains it in the sicha on Vayakhel. “Moshe assembled,” the half-shekel: every Jew, whoever he may be—his very existence as a Jew is everything. That makes him part of the Jewish people. That is Vayakhel. Then there is Pekudei: there are still distinct details, and each person has his own point, his own way. That is what is being said here as well. There is the person among the lowest of the low, and there is Moshe Rabbeinu; there is Atzilus, there are different levels of souls and all kinds of levels, and nevertheless they all connect and unite. There was once a young man from a family of chassidim who had drifted away. He lived in another country, and the Rebbe wrote a letter to him—or to his father. I think the Rebbe wrote to his father, asking him to send his regards to his son and tell him that he would like to see him. The son lived in another country, and the Rebbe wanted to see him. So the father passed the message on to his son, and the son wrote to the Rebbe. Of course, he was very moved that the Rebbe had sent him regards and all that. The son wrote to the Rebbe that he had received

18:46 the message, but he was embarrassed, because if the Rebbe saw him, the Rebbe would be disappointed. It was... the way he looked. The Rebbe would see what he looked like. So, as I recall, he wrote: “The Rebbe has heard that I don’t behave well. The Rebbe knows that if he sees me, it will be even worse.” In other words, apparently in his outward appearance, his beard and all that, he had drifted away. “The Rebbe will see me and be disappointed.” So the Rebbe wrote back to him: “I don’t agree with you. From a distance, without seeing you, I believe in you. I’m sure that if I see you, I will believe in you even more.” “I’m sure that if I see you, I’ll be even more...” Yes, the Rebbe had no doubt. “If I see you, I will believe in you even more.” What was the difference? The young man was looking at his own outward appearance. “I’m here without a hat, without a jacket, without a kippah, without a beard”—however he was dressed, however he looked on the outside. So he was certain: “The Rebbe will see me, and he’ll think, ‘What a wayward young man.’ What do I know? He’ll see me and be disappointed.” The Rebbe looked at things in an entirely different way. “I don’t see you, and I look at what’s inside you, at your depth. So if I think well of you from a distance, all the more so if I see you.” That is what a Rebbe does: he reveals what is inside. Just a little story. There are thousands of stories about these things, about all the Rebbes, but this is really the ABC of Chassidus. This is what it means to be a chossid. This is the whole idea of Ahavas Yisroel, the foundation of Chassidus: how a chossid must look at a Jew, look beneath his outer shell and see what is inside him. And that is Ahavas... Now look, he says here, you see

20:52 There are two things about a Jew. First, even if he is, as the expression goes, “the lowliest of the low among the Jewish people,” which apparently means he has a very lowly soul, that too is holiness. And second, within that holiness, everything is one. So even within this lowly soul there is the potential for Chochmah and Malchus of Atzilus, all the way up to Chochmah of Atzilus, where He, blessed be He, is present. So this Jew contains all that depth. The question is how much of it he will reveal. That depends. It says in Hayom Yom that there is a well of living water that needs to be dug, and it depends on the person digging—how deeply he digs and how much he believes. There’s a very well-known Hayom Yom that says every Jew is a well of living water. You have to clear away the earth. Sometimes there’s a lot of earth, and you have to dig deeper. It all depends on the energy, patience, and strength of the person digging. In other words, sometimes you go on mivtzoim and reach out to a Jew. When you look at him, you have to work on yourself and believe in the true essence of a Jew. Then you can dig and uncover the depth, the well of living water within him.